


Lay Me Down Low

by Seascribe



Category: due South
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Ghosts, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 12:10:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seascribe/pseuds/Seascribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray gets hurt on a case.  Fraser looks after him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lay Me Down Low

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vailkagami](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vailkagami/gifts).



> Thanks to Scribe, Muccamukk, and Boxofdelights for all kinds of last minute hand-holding and insight (not all of which I was able to carry through on; any remaining errors are my own).

Ray can remember his name and the city he's in, but he's a little fuzzy on the day of the week and his social security number. He blames it on being distracted by how much everything hurts. Half the warehouse's ceiling and ventilation system had caved in when O'Connell's homemade explosive went off, and most of it landed on Ray. 

"That's all right, Detective Vecchio," the nurse says. "You just rest for a moment, and I'll get the doctor's recommendations and have them let your partner back." 

Ray slumps back into the pillow and closes his eyes against the glare of the hospital lights. 

"When are you gonna wise up and stop risking your neck for that freak?" 

Ray jumps, and immediately regrets it. Pain spasms through his back and neck and the headache building behind his eyes kicks the throbbing up a notch. The old man's ghost is standing at the foot of his bed, giving him that flat, scornful look, the same one Ray remembers from when somebody else got picked as captain of the basketball team and a hundred other times he fucked up. 

"Go away, Pop," he mutters, scowling up at the ceiling. 

Pop ignores him. "The Mountie says jump, and all you wanna know is how high. They're gonna be laughing their asses off at you." 

Ray winces. He can't remember if Fraser got O'Connell or not. God, he hopes so; Ray'd hate to have gotten himself blown up for nothing. 

"I was doing my job," he says. "It's got nothing to do with the Mountie." 

"If that's how you do your job, then I see why you're not going anywhere," Pop says. 

"Hey, I got a detective's shield, I'm going plenty of places, " Ray says loudly, forgetting that there's nothing separating him from the rest of the ward but a flimsy curtain. 

On the other side of that curtain, Fraser clears his throat. "Ray? Is it all right if I come in?" Somehow he conned the admitting nurse into letting him bring the wolf back; Dief sticks his head through the gap in the curtains, making a growly whining noise down low in his throat. 

"Chill out, Dief, I'm fine," Ray says. "Sure, Fraser, come on in." He takes a deep breath, steeling himself to sit up. _Ow._ Fraser comes in and stands by the bed, studying Ray's impressive collection of scrapes, bruises, and cuts with a subdued expression. Ray glances down at the foot of the bed. Pop's gone. 

"Dr Cranford's cleared you to go home, on the condition that you're supervised for 24 hours," Fraser says. "Would you like me to call Francesca and let her know what happened before I drive you home?" 

Home means Ma fussing, maybe crying, and Frannie and Maria haranguing him for getting hurt, and probably the kids bouncing on him and demanding stories. Ray shudders. 

"You reckon they'd just admit me?" He's trying to make it sound like a joke, but Fraser's face creases into a sympathetic frown. Dief woofs, putting a paw up on the bed and nosing at Ray's hand. 

Fraser rubs at his eyebrow, looking at Ray sort of sidelong. "Would you rather come home with Dief and me, Ray? I know my apartment is rather lacking in traditional amenities, but I believe I can promise you a certain measure of peace and quiet." 

"I don't wanna put you out or anything," Ray mutters, staring at a spot over Fraser's left shoulder. 

"Not at all," Fraser says. He looks less nervous now and is smiling at Ray a little. "I was thinking that we could have something delivered for dinner, and I believe that WSCR will be broadcasting the Bulls game." 

"Thanks, Benny," Ray says. "That sounds great." 

*  
Fraser brings the Riv around to the hospital entrance, so Ray doesn't have to walk so far. While Ray's waiting, he pulls out his cell phone and calls Frannie to let her know what's going on. 

"I'm fine," he tells her. "Just banged up. Doc says somebody's gotta keep an eye on me in case of concussion. You know how Ma is, I can't handle her sitting there saying the rosary over me for the next 24 hours."

"She's gonna freak out," Frannie warns him. 

"Just tell her Fraser's looking after me," Ray says. "She'll be fine." Frannie makes a skeptical noise. "Look, I'll see you guys tomorrow okay?" 

"Tell Fraser thanks for putting up with you," Frannie says, and Ray laughs. 

"'Night, Frannie." 

Fraser pulls the car up to the curb and hops out to hover while Ray climbs stiffly into the passenger seat. 

"Did you have anything in mind for dinner?" Fraser asks, pulling out of the hospital parking lot and merging jerkily into traffic. Right on cue, Ray's stomach grumbles. 

"Mei Lin's, beef and broccoli?" he says hopefully. 

"You're gonna forgive him for landing you in the hospital just because he's buying you dinner?" Pop's voice says in Ray's ear.

In the back seat, Dief growls, and Fraser says sharply, "Diefenbaker!" 

"I'm not listening to you," Ray snaps. 

"I'm not sure what's gotten into him, Ray," Fraser says. He glances suspiciously into the back seat. 

"No big deal," Ray says. He glances casually at the rearview mirror, and doesn't see anybody back there but Dief.

*  
Normally, Ray refuses to risk his life by taking the elevator in Fraser's building, but he's pretty sure the only other way he's making it up to the third floor is if Fraser carries him. Dief gives them a skeptical look and opts for the stairs. The elevator shudders and creaks some, but it gets them up there okay. Dief hesitates in the apartment doorway, looking around with his upper lip drawn back in a snarl before following Ray inside. Ray scritches him behind the ears to say thanks.

Dinner arrives not too long afterwards, and Fraser pays for it with his own money, without letting Ray even pick up the tip. Ray glances around a little nervously as Fraser fusses with the food and brings everything over to the table so Ray doesn't have to get up, but there's no sign of Pop. Dief stretches out in front of the doorway and gives him a quiet, reassuring woof. Ray makes a note to buy him some quality beef jerky next time he goes out. 

"Is something bothering you?" Fraser asks, pretending like he's paying more attention to picking at his lo mein than to Ray's response. 

"Just my back," Ray says with a tiny, cautious shrug. Fraser might talk to himself--and to the wolf--but that doesn't mean he needs to know that Ray's got Pop hanging around. And his back really is bothering him.

Fraser looks guilty. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. You'd probably be much more comfortable on the bed." 

"It's fine, Benny," Ray says, but his heart's not in it, and Fraser ignores him, abandoning his dinner to go and pile up his pillows and a fuzzy striped blanket at the head of his bed. 

"Here, Ray, come see if this feels better." 

"I might as well have gone home and let Ma baby me," Ray mutters, trying not to wince as he kicks off his shoes and gets himself situated. Fraser adjusts a couple of the pillows and steps back to squint at the line of Ray's shoulders and the angle of his neck. 

"How does that feel? Do you need more lumbar support?" 

It still hurts, but anything is better than Fraser's stupid straight back chairs, and the painkillers oughta be kicking in pretty soon anyway. 

"It's good, Benny," Ray assures him. "Now can we finish eating?" 

Fraser hesitates, like he's not sure whether he should sit back down at the table or drag a chair over next to the bed, and decides to compromise by sitting awkwardly on his dad's beat up foot locker. 

Ray rolls his eyes and pats the mattress beside him. "Get over here, Fraser, there's plenty of room." That's stretching the truth a little; Fraser's pressed right up against him from shoulder to thigh, but Ray doesn't mind, and it's not like Fraser's ever been real good at the concept of personal space. 

Fraser keeps up a steady stream of totally pointless Inuit stories in between bites, and Ray stops listening pretty much immediately, just letting Fraser's voice wash over him. He's exhausted, and between that and the soothing lull of Fraser's voice, pretty soon his eyelids are starting to feel heavy.

It takes him a second to realise that Fraser's stopped telling him a story about illegal walrus poaching and is asking him a question. 

"Huh?" Ray says intelligently. 

Fraser stifles a smile. "Nevermind, Ray. Go back to sleep." He takes the mostly empty carton and chopsticks out of Ray's lax grip and leans over to put them on the nightstand. There's a second where Ray, even three-quarters of the way asleep, can _hear_ the gears turning in his head. 

"Stop that," he mumbles. "You're sleeping on the bed." 

"As you say," Fraser agrees. Ray makes a satisfied noise and tries to pull the blanket and extra pillows out from behind him so he can lie down. His back and ribs have other ideas. Fraser reaches over to help, easing the extra padding out from behind Ray so that he doesn't put any tension on his back as he scoots down the bed. 

"Thanks, Benny," Ray says, backsliding fast towards sleep. 

The mattress shifts as Fraser stands up, and before Ray can complain about that, Fraser's working at the buckle of Ray's belt. It occurs to Ray that, if he were more awake, that might strike him as kind of weird. But Fraser just slides the belt neatly off and sets it down on the floor. There's a rustling sound that Ray assumes is him losing the Mountie pants, and then he lies back down beside Ray, pulling the blanket up over them and turning off the lamp. 

"Are you comfortable?" Fraser asks. 

Ray wriggles around a little til he's got his head pillowed on Fraser's shoulder. "Mm-hmm. 'Night, Benny." 

Fraser's amused huff of laughter tickles the top of his head. "Goodnight, Ray."


End file.
